


When I Woke Up, Volume 1: A Dreamlike Meeting

by WindyChrome



Series: WIWU [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Death Note, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Mystery, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:46:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6752659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindyChrome/pseuds/WindyChrome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>EDIT: So I lost the original notebook. That shouldn't be a big deal, but as I began reading through this, I started remembering a little bit more about the events. It's not like I wrote them down at the time, you know, and I didn't always have Ai either. So I've edited the story a little bit, sorry about that!</p><p>I always seem to wake up in strange places, but Eggman's Lab? This one takes the cake. A new adventure awaits, with an epic list of new friends I know better than they expect! Expect high-paced action and cameos of or allusions to anything I have ever watched or read.</p><p>OOC: Originally written while working at an amusement park a few years ago, based on a series of dreams.</p><p>Warning: Swearing, some violence</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dreaming of Traps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein I explore a strange place and I find Richard Grayson (heir of Bruce Wayne), Anica (old friend), and someone I decided to call London, all caught up in a trap. The only way them out is to get the key!

_The silence on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, far beneath the rapidly sinking Arleigh Burke class destroyer, was profound; and Davy Jones himself was in a fury._

_How dare this wench refuse her birthright?_

_He raised his hand. Her choice be damned. She would do what he wanted her to. Like everyone else on his crew._

_-@-_

When I woke up, I was half-washed up on a beach of coarse sand, the light around me blinding, and my parched mouth demanding something other than salt, my hand clutching a ragged scrap of black cloth. I dragged myself, gathering scrapes on my knees and feet from the small, sharp pebbles, towards something dark. Discovering that a clump of bushes had survived a rather recent deforestation attempt, many of the branches snapped and ripped carelessly, I crouched down in the blessed shade. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I could open them and look around a little more clearly.

The deforestation had obviously been in order to install a shining metal wall that stretched into the sky. The hum of a flying robot alerted me to retreat further into the shade, and I saw it pass by, watchfully patrolling the cleared area. Something was familiar about that robot's shape, I mused. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen it - perhaps it was the part where it vaguely resembled the mecha from some children's anime? I certainly didn't want to meet it's maker.

I looked behind me. The ocean stretched out endlessly, and there was no cover that would allow me to pass by the metallic fortress undetected - unless I swam.

My heart skipped a beat, and I could feel beads of sweat on my face. _Unless I swim? I love swimming, but why am I so afraid now?_

I ran my hand through my hair unconsciously, clicking at myself when I realized I had added mud to the salt gracing my locks, loose and short. It felt wrong, somehow, like my hair should not be that length, but I could not place the feeling. The loose sleeve of my peasant blouse flapped against my face, and I lowered my arm, looking at it - certainly not my usual style. So low cut that it revealed nearly the entire body of the tattoo'd kraken and a black knife in my heart.

_This is new._

I took a closer look. 13 treasure chests, one just barely cracked open. Six of the tentacles of the kraken wrapped around the chests and my shoulders loosely, reaching almost down to my belly button, but it very diligently guarded a knife with a black blade and a skull and crossbones on the pommel, holding it in place just over my heart with two tentacles, glaring as if no one was allowed to touch it. As I stared at it, I became aware of the seawater still seeping from my heavy skirt, and the twigs and sticks, and a small flat metal strip digging into my bare feet.

_What the everliving fuck._ I would never have chosen this outfit. It seemed more at home in a period drama - or on a pirate ship. I couldn't imagine having gotten such a detailed tattoo either. It certainly was not of a size covered by a chit. But the more I tried to think about what had happened, the more my head began to ache and my ears to ring. Finally, I grabbed the piece of metal, examined it, found a pocket in my skirt for it, and decided to move. I waited for the robot to fly by again, and carefully followed it, skirt slapping and chafing my legs, peering around the corner of the building.

The shadow from the building reached almost to the large shipping dock, silent and empty, buoys knocking against the brand-new metal and cement architecture, faced a wide-open door designed to pass objects much larger than the containers I was used to seeing on cargo vessels. The robot had quickly outpaced me, of course, and with a glance behind me, I ran up to the side of the door and listened for movement. Hearing nothing, I peered in, only to see a very pissed off pink anthropomorphic hedgehog, with an oversized hammer, smash open a door and proceed further into the facility, with further crashing. I was stunned, but the sound of the flying robot quickly returned my senses. I ducked inside and flattened myself against the other side of the metal wall until the robot had passed.

Then I followed the hedgehog, remembering the story of Alice.

The air became cooler as I stepped over the smashed door, and the light became fluorescent. The passageway quickly branched, and I went left, no sign available to indicate Amy's path. This path ended in an unmolested door, however, and I considered going back - but a low buzz behind me, and a prickle on my skin, changed my mind. I tapped the pinpad, and it opened on my first try - 1234, of all pins to choose! The door slid open, and I looked into a cellblock, apparently designed from a history book, all rusted iron bars and depressing brick, glaringly incompatible with the technology I'd already seen - and improbably aged, like the decorations at a theme park. No guards confronted me - which I was beginning to find somewhat strange - so I stepped through and allowed the door to close behind me. The buzzing noise grew stronger, and I pressed against the wall next to the door, breathing so slowly and shallowly I could not be heard. After a long moment, the buzzing receded. I lifted my gaze. The right wall consisted of the five cells, one occupied by three figures, the wall across had another door just like this one, and the left wall had nothing but five chairs, each with a key hanging above them.

Big black eyes, shaggy black hair and bare feet - the 20-something Japanese man was leaning on the bars, chewing on his thumbnail. My appearance had apparently surprised him, as his did me, and we stared at each other without a word. I could not leave this man trapped here.

The other young man stood up and came to the side of the detective. I perceived him to be a prep - rich kid in a fancy school uniform. Dark hair tossed just so - some rich college or another.

Trying to control my expression, I turned away, looking at the keys. One key on each string, one string hanging on the wall above each chair, and one chair for each door. Seemed simple enough. The keys were out of reach though, I would have to stand on the chair to get them.

Wary, I crouched and peered underneath the chair, careful of my skirt, noticing a thin gap in the floor around the foot of each chair.

"It…" I mumbled, looking up, and saw pulleys in the ceiling, leading along a track that ended above the cell the three were in. "Transports? You?"

The black-haired boy laughed suddenly, slapping the other on the back. "Nancy Drew here is already doing better than you." He had a slight British accent. I glanced at them, and the brunette had flushed slightly, grinning.

"Honestly, I'll admit I should have expected something like that."

"I think it's fair that you didn't," I said, looking back at the pulley system. "I mean, honest to god, who builds traps like that outside, I don't know, Gotham?" I heard a sharp intake of breath and looked quickly to see that the Asian detective was intently observing the American's reaction towards my words. My smile faded at his intense stare. "What?"

He blinked, then smiled abruptly, like a switch had been flipped. "Sorry, I'm just from Gotham, so it was a bit surprising for you to pull that name out from nowhere."

Now it was my turn to be assessed by the unnerving black gaze. "By Gotham, you mean, like, New York City?" I felt a bead of sweat drop between my shoulderblades. _What kind of …_

The Gothamite shook his head. "Oh, are you from New York City too? No, although I can see why you'd be confused, from what Leon has told me, the two cities are similar."

I shook my head. "Never been. Always wanted to. Too late now, I guess." _Maybe he's insane. Play along, I guess._ "What's your name?"

"Richard Grayson." He said it like he didn't expect a reaction, and I think I managed to turn away before my eyebrows climbed. "I wonder if I could -" The college kid put his hand on the door, his body suddenly prepared to spring into some kind of powerful strike, but, biting his cheek with a sulky look, he relaxed back into his seemingly privileged-boy persona. "Solid steel... I'd only hurt myself." _He seems to believe it?_

"So you - you're that kid Bruce Wayne took under his... wing?"

His eyes narrowed briefly. "You must have seen me in the papers..."

I nodded. "Of course. May I call you Ricky?" At his nod, I continued. "And who's - ah!" I recognized the prone figure at last. "That's my friend - is she hurt?" I stepped toward the cell in my dismay, only a step.

Ricky looked back at her. "She's taken quite a bump on the head. She'll probably wake up soon, though."

"Thank goodness," I ran my hand through my hair, curling as it dried, and salt flakes beginning to form. "By the way, I'm Windy. Windy Chrome." I wasn't sure why I'd used one of my online handles, but once it was out of my mouth, I couldn't go back. _Perhaps I should use my real name? Oh, but if it comes up later, I suppose I can simply explain that I thought we were using pseudonyms as a pattern of behavior… Like Dick Grayson._

"Why didn't you grab the key as the chair rose?" I asked suddenly.

"It has tasers built into the seat. You don't notice them until you compress the seat cushion. That looked unpleasant." The british accent.

"What's your name?" I asked, smiling. "Don't tell me, Ryuzaki?" His eyes widened briefly, then narrowed sharply, losing any trace of amusement. "What? Am I that good at guessing?" _What the hell is going on today? Maybe they're cosplayers? Now that I think about it, this guy is dressed just like L would._ This was starting to creep me out. I crossed my arms, pressing my hands in my armpits and hugging myself tightly as I investigated the rest of the room. Each chair seemed to be designed the same way as the first.

"I thought you said your name was Leon?"

"Ryuzaki was a name I used in the past." His voice was flat and quiet now.

Anica mumbled something, and I turned and hurried back as she rolled over. Richard helped her sit up against the wall. "Anica, are you okay?" She blinked at me blearily.

"Who?" I blinked at her. _What do you mean, who? We went to college together._ "I'm sorry, I'm… having trouble…" _Amnesia? That's inconvenient._

"What's the last thing you remember?" Richard asked.

"Boarding the plane in Central City," she said. I must have had a wtf face, because Leon suddenly chuckled.

"As far as I can tell, he's the real thing," He said to me, in a low voice. "I wonder how many people from our world are here? It could cause that family some misfortune."

_Our world? But L is not from- and Anica is not from-_ I caught my breath, placing my hand over my mouth, my eyes narrowing, and I turned away sharply. _What if I'm the one who's out of place?_ I turned back slowly.

"Tell me, Lawliet, what happened to Rem?" I mouthed, looking at his shoulder. He drew a sharp breath, and I flinched, turning away again.

"Who told you that name?" His voice was soft but intense, and I heard him grab the bars, and they rattled at the far edges. Richard and Anica fell silent.

I considered what I thought I could take for granted. _If they're roleplaying, they're doing a damn good job. If they're roleplaying, it might be safe here. If they're not -_ and I remembered the glimpse of a true-to-size Amy Rose, not exactly an easy roleplay. _They're not. So, we're in actual danger._

Ricky cleared his throat. "I wonder what it feels like," I looked at him, and he was smiling easily, fakely. "To know everything."

My voice was sober. "Someone tell me when they find out. Anyway. You would like to be called Leon?"

"If it's not even his real name," Ricky said, an edge to his voice, "Maybe we should just call him London."

There was silence for a moment, and I could feel L's sharp eyes considering me. I would have bet my life savings that he had started to chew his thumbnail again. "I don't care what you call me, honestly. Who else have you recognized?" His voice was calm and flat, professional again. Crossing my arms again, I paced away, then back again, as I spoke.

"Come to think of it, I think I saw Amy the Hedgehog, earlier, so I expect the robots I encountered are probably Eggman's. This room fairly screams Gotham at me, so I'm expecting either the Riddler or the Joker. I've seen no sign of any supernatural influences, but then I wouldn't, would I? I've only been awake for enough time to walk here from the shore." I brushed the drying lines forming on my skirt.

"And before then?" L was insistent.

"What?"

"Before you woke up, where were you?"

I blinked, then ran my hand through my hair, still shorter than I expected. I pulled a lock straight out in front of me and stared at it. "I … don't remember." In fact, as I tried, an uncomfortable ringing sounded in my ears, worse than the tinnitus I had acquired in the Navy. When I released the hair, it sprang back up to join its mates, barely brushing against the bottom of my ears. I dropped my hand, losing focus for a minute.

"Windy." Richard had come to the bars. "Windy," He waved his hand, attracting my attention. I looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

"I think I have a headache, but it's nothing. I'm probably dehydrated." I shook my head, then turned and looked at the key again. "Anyway, I suppose there's more useful things to think about than getting to know one another. What if I climbed on the arm of the chair?"

"It moves too quickly. Anica tried that, and knocked her head on the ceiling." _So her name really is Anica? But she's from another world. This is blowing my mind._

I looked at the other chairs. "Do they come up?"

"No one has tried that."

I walked over to the next chair. I put my foot delicately against the edge of the seat, wiggling my toes, then shoved the chair as hard as I could. It stuck at first, then the glue broke and it skittered free, the wires yanking free as the floor pegs shot to the ceiling and back down, nearly cutting my calf. The chair skittered and bounced away. I straightened carefully, and my joints popped audibly in the silence.

"Well, that worked, I guess." _Scared the shit out of me though._ I crossed over and picked up the chair, then carried it over to the first, set it down and climbed up, noting the pressure where the deactivated taser contacts met my feet.

"Now, now," An intercom I hadn't noticed crackled with The Joker's voice. "I admire your resourcefulness, but no one said that you were actually allowed to take the keys down." I glanced around, looking for a camera, but I didn't see one. I grabbed at the key hastily, but it remained attached to the wall - I could not get my fingers beneath it!

"It's glued. Fucker." I remembered the flat metal piece I'd picked up earlier, bent it slightly, and started sawing at the glue.

The hair at the base of my scalp tickled, and I narrowed my eyes. A rythmic thumping was indicating the approach of a large biped beyond the door. "Shitfaced motherfucker, no less."

"What's that noise?" Anica asked, rising.

L and Richard glanced at her, then at the door. Richard stood as well and L retreated from the cell bars.


	2. Dreaming of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein a mutated human attacks and dies, but I get the key.

The makeshift saw was starting to get traction under the tip of the key when the door went flying across the room and a huge mountain of a creature reached through the gap and groped around. I ignored it, not even requiring a glance to see that I had no chance once he reached me. Instead, I focused on increasing the upward pressure on the saw. Now it was fully underneath the key, but I wasn't sure the key's shaft was properly supported. My right hand was starting to slip, and I noticed blood. I gripped harder.

The monster behind me, unsatisfied with his efforts, squeezed his chest and shoulders through the gap with an effort that removed part of the wall. I tugged the metal tight and pulled hard - a cracking noise told me that the key had come loose, or maybe part of the wall had given way. Another tug and it was free - as the monster slapped me against the wall.

The key hit the ground at the same time I did, and I slapped my hand over it, laying flat and still, praying that the monster would assume I had been knocked out. My wind certainly had been. I couldn't breathe if I had wanted to. My insane luck benefited me for once - the monster reached for me, but just as it closed it's hand over my skull, it's grip went slack and it cried out. It fell to its knees with a thump, then, gasping for air, onto its face, massive hand and arm completely weighing me down.

Once it stopped moving, I started trying to wiggle free, but I was definitely stuck. With some effort, I worked on breathing, instead, gripping the key tightly, listening to the approaching footsteps.

Two more sets of rapid footsteps, to be precise.

"Damn, he's fast!" One male voice, panting.

"Shit, he's useless." Another male voice, less out of breath. The sound of an Armalite rifle being made ready. "Where's the bitch?"

_ Yeah, fuck you too. _ I played unconscious, even when Shitface Number Two kicked me in the hip, hard. It's all about being limp and maintaining even breathing. Disassociating completely works too.

The cursing guards would hopefully assume I was unconscious - yes, they did - and forget me? No such luck. The bigger of the two - crossing himself as he stepped over the arm of the giant - lifted me under one arm and carried me over to the door of the cell my friends were in. His buddy opened the door, and - none too gently - Muscles threw me into the cell and slammed the door.

I rolled several times, gaining more scratches and bruises for my lack of defiance.

Shitface Number Two kicked the monster. "Guess we better tell Joker this one failed too."

"Fuck. Flip you?"

"Nah man, you owe me for yesterday. This one's all yours."

"Damn it." They were gone. I pushed myself up and looked over at the dead body - a large humanoid, a greenish cast to his skin. L tapped my hand, and I turned it palm up without looking at him - the key pressed so hard into my palm I knew there'd be an indent.

"Damn! Good job," Richard said. I felt L take the key hesitantly, with light fingers, and I closed my hand over the painful mark, pressing my fingers into my palm in it's place.

"We need to find some bandages or something," Anica said, taking L's place. She drew my hand to her and opened it - and when I looked, I realized that the key had cut my palm, and my fingers were bleeding where I'd gripped the metal shard. It was hardly the only place that was bleeding, though, and I quickly took stock of my situation.

"Nothing seems to be gushing." I said after a moment. "I'm no hemophiliac. I'll be fine after a little while." Everything stung, though, distractingly.

"You might have broken ribs," Richard said. He pressed his fingers where the monster had made contact and I hissed in pain. "Yeah, definitely broken here."

"Fuck, man, warn me next time."

"Don't get hit there again." He said, eyes surprisingly dark. "If you pierce a lung, you might not survive without medical attention."

"Fair enough," I said, glancing away, embarrassed, then shifted my weight, glancing at L. He had swung the cell door open, and watched us carefully, hunched over as usual. At my glance, he turned and walked out of the cell, stood in the gaping hallway, looking away. I almost spoke, but didn't - but my motion drew Anica's attention, and she stood, and then Richard helped me to my feet.

"That - thing - is dead, right?" Anica asked.

I wasn't sure how I knew, but I answered confidently. "Anica, that thing was human, once."

"It is definitely dead," L said, another implacable look directed my way.

Ricky kicked the monster. "It must have been one of the Joker's experiments. I've seen this before… in the papers, of course." He glanced around nervously, but no one responded. "He's obviously still testing the formula."

"H… heart attack." L said, shifting his eyes to the giant, then away. I sighed inadvertently, but looked away before he noticed I was watching.

"At least he's dead," I said quickly. "He's probably in less pain that way. I hope. But anyway, we should go before the cleanup crew gets here."

"You sure you're ready?" Ricky said, tearing the clothes of the beast. He rose, holding a handmade, yet workable sling.

"Always ready," I said, the familiar phrase coming far too quickly for my taste. "But I'm a little curious about this door over here."

The three looked at me.

"Curious?" Ricky said. "What's your goal here, again?"

I shrugged. "Like I said before, I saw Amy briefly. I'd like to know why she's here."

"The two of you did enter from the hallway," L said. "If your goal was to infiltrate, I suppose you would be planning to take that route anyway."

Ricky looked conflicted. And I understood. On the one hand, Robin would need to explore and stop the Joker's plan, but on the other, Richard Grayson, Bruce Wayne's protege, would far rather leave the derring-do for others, especially with civilians to consider.

"How about this -" I walked to the closed door, and tapped the code. 1234. Same as before, the door slid open. No one was in the new hallway, predictably. "I'm going this way. Come with me, or not, at your pleasure."

Anica sparkled, her sense of adventure tingling. "I'm coming with you." She bounced after me, and peered into the hallway, which branched three ways.

"You probably have a concussion, please don't make too many sudden movements." I told her. She grinned.

"I don't mind. This is much more fun than I was expecting." L stuffed his hands in his pockets and carefully picked his way around the corpse, not stopping, not looking back. Ricky sighed, and when I heard him take a step toward us, I went through the door.


	3. Dreaming of Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein I run into my old friend Nera and her boyfriend Nero, and make friends also with Sonic, Tails, and Amy! I'm still injured though, and it's a little hard to be as "roguish" as my friends think I am... but I do have an appearance to keep up!

With no sense of direction, we went straight, and even though the hallway branched several times, kept going straight. Ricky's leather shoes, and Anica's converse, were hushed on the rubber floor, L padded along like a predatory cat, and no sound intruded until I tripped on my skirt and ate shit.

"Are you all right?" Ricky asked. I lifted my head and blew my hair out of my face with frustration.

"This skirt really doesn't suit you," Anica said, grabbing my arm. She helped me to my feet as I answered.

"Yet another thing I have zero memory of."

"Kala?" A soft, feminine voice from down the hall. I glanced around, then spotted the speaker, a woman our age, with long, dark, curly hair and even darker lash-framed eyes. She walked toward us as casually as anyone ever could, despite wearing, for some reason, an adorable cow outfit with a brown-and-white Ayrshire pattern on it. I took a breath.

_ She recognized me. _

"Nera!!" She beamed.

"I knew it was you!" She rushed forward, tucking a folded paper under an arm so she could grab my hands. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"It's been years!" I agreed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm a superhero now! I'm looking for Mr. Cow. He's been missing for a few days. Why are you here, Kala?"

"I don't really know," That smile was damn hard to lie to. "Guess I'm looking for Mr. Cow now too. Seems as good as anything else."

L approached. "Is this a map?" He took the paper from Nera without any resistance.

"Yes, I found it on a desk! But, I'm still can't find my cow." She turned her brilliant smile on the others. "Hi! I'm Nera!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, um, this is Anica, this is Ricky, and this is, um, London?"

He glared at me, but said nothing.

"What lovely names!" She bowed politely, and Ricky and Anica bowed politely in response. "It's lovely to meet you. London is an odd one. A pseudonym, right?"

"I'm not telling anyone else my real name." There was just a little bit of an edge to his voice. Nera had already turned back to me.

"What do you mean you don't know? Did you lose your memory?" Nera asked me. I shrugged.

"Guess so. I keep getting headaches. It'll probably come back in time."

Nera smiled. "I hope so. I'm glad you remembered me, at least!" She smiled brightly, and I grinned in response. L's expression softened slightly. He gestured at the paper.

"There's another cell-block straight down this hallway. Maybe your - Mr. Cow? - will be there."

Nera graced him with that brilliant smile.

"That's great! Are you a detective- no, you must be a detective, right?"

He looked a little stunned. Ricky slapped him on the arm as he walked past. L shook himself slightly, recovering, and caught up quickly. 

"We're a bit like an RPG party," I said, with a grin. "A detective, an acrobat, an archer, you, and me, what am I?"

Anica brushed past us. "The rogue."

"What? I'm not disagreeing, but why?"

She turned back, highly amused. "Because no one knows what you're going to do next."

"Why, it sounds almost like you remember me."

"Kala The Rogue," Nera said. "Has a nice ring to it." Her laidback personality had always handled my - eccentricities - more smoothly than Anica's artistic one. 

"Ah, yes," L pulled my attention. "Kala - or was it Windy?"

"I answer to either. And others." I tried to answer as smoothly as possible. "I started using the name 'Windy Chrome' recently because I thought it sounded cuter than 'Kala Ibolya', but not as cutesy as 'Sanura'." Now I mimicked Nera's sweet smile.

"Windy then," He shoved the map unexpectedly into my face, causing me to draw back. "The room ahead is labeled as 'cell block', but the layout is wrong. What do you think?"  _ Was this a test? _

I grabbed the paper and brought it down to a logical reading level. As he had stated, the room had no 'cells', but was circular, with a large circular unlabeled shape in the middle. I wondered who had made the map, and why.

"Strange. Did you guys see this?" I motioned at Ricky and Anica, pointing it out to Nera at the same time.

"A holding cell? Awful large. Maybe for one of those giants?" Anica said.

"I think it's too small for one of those, but… well, maybe for an earlier subject." Ricky said. "But until we see it…"

"What was the code?" L asked me.

"1234," I responded.

They stared at me. "Seriously?" Ricky finally asked.

"Hey, it's not like I picked it." I shrugged. "It is the most commonly used PIN though, so I'm sure quite a lot of people do."

"I keep forgetting that people are generally stupid." Ricky muttered.

My eyebrows shot up. Not exactly what I'd expected to hear from him. L tapped the code, and the door slid open.

This room was so much more high-tech than anything we'd seen so far. The walls were covered in sensor readout screens and flashing lights, and the floor was made of grating over a large drain. The center tank was made of glass, and well-lit, but I couldn't see what was inside it - because of what seemed like a tornado of sand - and a flash of blue.

"Could that be?" I stepped forward, almost involuntarily, then looked around sharply. There were two other doors, and I approached one, then the other, listening carefully, oblivious to the stares of the other humans.

The second one, I heard the telltale patter of small feet and a sharp, angry voice. I entered the code, and stood to the side as the pink hedgehog stumbled through, holding her hammer at the ready. She stopped finally, and turned back to look at me, surprised. An out-of-breath, orange, twin-tailed fox flew up behind her, staring at everyone freely.

"Hello Amy, Tails. I think I found Sonic." I pointed at the tank.

Amy lowered her hammer slightly. "Who the hell are you?" She was panting slightly, but turned to look at the tank, catching the blue flash at the same time as Tails.

"Sonic!" He cried. "Amy! That's gotta be Sonic!" He ran up and pounded on the glass with both hands. 

"Awright!" She lifted the hammer. "I'll get him out, don't you worry!"

"Uh, let me get out of your way." Tails hovered, then sped back almost to the wall. Amy leaped forward, and the hammer made contact with the glass. I flinched and covered my ears as the sand - warm from friction - hit me in a wave, then started draining below the floor. When I opened my eyes, a very dizzy blue hedgehog was staggering around on the base of the tank, then fell into the sand with a plop. Above him, a young man attempted to wipe the sand from his face as he rose. He pulled a pair of glasses from the pocket of his Ayrshire button-up and put them on.

Nera tackle-hugged him.

Amy's head popped out of the sand, and she shook it vigorously. "Are you alright, Sonic?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," He said, sprawled and panting. "How about you, buddy?" He called.

"Oh, truly I am fine. Thank you very much, both of you - for saving my life! I won't forget that." Nera had buried her face into his chest and I think she was crying.

I looked down at the sand, then realized it was sliding through the grates and into the drain. I crouched down and looked closer. "Looks like they were were expecting this. Too late to prevent their noticing, I suppose."

"Of course," Sonic grinned, sitting up finally. "It's me we're talking about. That tank was eventually going to bust."

Tails was fixated on an object hanging above the lovers. "Sonic, isn't that…?"

Sonic nodded, scratching his head. "Yeah, the Master Emerald. Don't know why it's here. Been giving me a hell of a headache honestly. Knucks must really be slipping to let it out of his sight." He stood up. "Clear the platform, I'm going to knock it down.

Ricky and Anica helped Mr. and Ms. Cow down from the platform, and Amy gave Sonic a thumbs up.

"All clear! Sonic, do your best!"

He was a blur before I noticed he'd moved, running a spiral around the room to build speed, then leaping into space with a spinball attack at the crane holding the emerald aloft.

The Master Emerald twinkled as it fell, then slid on the sand, rolling to a stop only two feet from where I stood. I rose from my crouch, stumbling forward involuntarily, pulled by the shining gem.

"Watch out!" Tails cried. "The emerald is supercharged with energy! Don't touch it!"

It was too late. The ground tipped dangerously beneath me, and I turned to see my new friends reach for me, but the sight faded into black.


	4. Dreaming of Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein I freeze to death, and rescue Knuckles, then send him away again. Goodbye, friends. Now there are four.

The lonely darkness was denser than air, streaming over my skin and pulling at my clothing like an ultra-fine sand, varying from ice-cold to white-hot, and somehow electric. I had to force myself to breath, the same way I do in a strong wind. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on breathing, focus on centering, focus on anything that would keep me from panicking and losing myself to the dark and cold and loneliness. _ This is my very definition of hell, _ my useless mind kept repeating.  _ There is no escape. _

My back settled gently against something firm and ungiving, small sharp things tickling my elbows, and when I opened my eyes, an oddly greyed-out scene had appeared around me.

A chao garden, with a gazebo on a platform, rather like the pedestal on Angel Island that housed the Master Emerald. On the stairs to the gazebo, two echidnas and an oversized turquoise chao rested, surrounded by chao of various colors. All but the turquoise one slept, however, and his eyes were fixed on me firmly.

I stood carefully, my motion somehow making the vision swim like I was underwater.

"Greetings," I told him. "I mean you no harm. I am here by accident." He dipped his head and looked down at his friends.

Knuckles lay, carefully arranged, his head in the lap of the Princess Tikal, flowers and chao draped around him. She raised her head as I took a step towards them, with a peaceful expression.

"Have you come to take Knuckles back?" Her voice was kind, but the power of it echoed in my mind. 

"Can I? Is that alright?" I asked. "His friends miss him already."

She nodded. "He has his life ahead of him yet. I will send you both back, together."

"I appreciate your kindness, Princess."

She smiled again, then rose, and Knuckles floated down to where I stood. Tikal walked after.

"Give me your hands," She placed them on top of Knuckle's, clasped in the center of his chest. She put her hands above mine, and then a flash of light blinded me.

 

And then I felt hot. Everything was hot.

"Windy? Windy!" Nera's voice.

"What? How?" Ricky's voice.

"That's not possible! Her heart was stopped for over a minute!" Tails' voice.

I pushed my eyes open - they were heavy like I had been asleep for a decade. My new friends had surrounded me, and I was laying a short distance away from the emerald.

"What happened?" I croaked.

"The Master Emerald reacted and sent you flying. We all thought you were dead!" Tails said. I sat up, looking at the Master Emerald. Knuckles stood to one side, arms crossed, watching me. Anica followed my gaze first, then L, but it wasn't until Sonic looked over that anyone reacted.

"Knuckles!" He cried, standing up and crossing to his friend's side. "We've been really worried about you!"

"Knuckles!" Amy said. "Where have you been?"

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Tails said, hovering in excitement.

Knuckles smiled then, greeting Sonic. "Of course. It's me we're talking about. I just got trapped in the Master Emerald for a little while. She pulled me out." He gestured at me. I looked away.

"What?" Sonic looked back at me. "Humans can't…" He looked back at Knuckles, who shrugged.

As my sense of overheating faded, my body began to tingle with restored circulation. Nera abruptly threw her arms around me. "You were dead!" She sobbed. "Don't  _ do _ that!" I had to chuckle. Anica also came close, putting a hand on my arm.

I hugged Nera tightly back and met Anica's eyes. "Check it out, I'm not dead! Don't worry, I have five lives left."

"You said that last time," Nera said. 

Had I really? I couldn't remember.

"Where is this place?" Knuckles asked.

"Knuckles, you'll never believe what that stupid Eggman has gotten up to this time!" Amy put her hands on her hips, leaning into her exclamation.

"I'll believe almost anything when it comes to that jerk," He responded, his serious face getting darker. "He certainly got me good this time."

"He's teamed up with somebody!" Amy yelled, unable to contain her emotions. "And that guy…" She shook her head.

"Totally nutso." Tails remarked. "Name's 'Joker' or something like that. Some kind of local, but pretty strange-looking even for a human."

"I came over here on one of Eggman's bots," Sonic crossed his arms. "And I've been exploring, but this place is huge and I haven't found anything telling me what they're up to."

"You mean you got into a trap, and  _ I _ had to save you," Amy smirked.

Anica rose and walked away, grabbing her elbows. The Mobians watched her, and she finally spoke. "He wants to destroy - or at least terrorize - Gotham, at the very least. Joker's having Eggman build a giant rocket that will explode over Gotham, splashing it with highly corrosive acid."

"Acid, huh? Wonder who's idea that was," Ricky muttered.

"Area of impact should be three - no, let's say four kilometers in diameter." L, crouched by my side still, spoke at the floor behind me. "Anything organic completely dissolved on contact, anything non-organic greatly eroded. An increased area of eight to ten kilometers will be exposed to an aerated form of the neurotoxic acid created by a reaction with water, and even a low-dose exposure to the substance will cause significant nerve damage."

Nera finally let go of me, staring at L in horror.

"That acid is no joke, if it's the same stuff me and Amy saw…" Tails was hovering again.

"Trouble is," Ricky said, starting to pace. "Time of launch is in only a couple of hours." He checked his watch reflexively. "Your friend Eggman must be one hell of an efficient engineer."

I noticed that around the Mobians, L and Ricky had dropped their pretenses of being regular civilians. I was glad - honestly, we didn't have time for that.

Tails shrugged. "Anyone can do it, really. It just takes a little detailed knowledge of aeronautics, chemistry, robotics -"

Sonic cut him off. "It's the robots." They looked at each other and Sonic shrugged. "Eggman has hundreds of 'em."

L leaned close in an odd manner. "That fox builds rockets?"

"He prefers jet planes," I responded in a whisper. L's eyebrows rose, but he nodded with a smile.

"Of course he does."

Amy was looking at the Master Emerald, thinking hard. "Hey, Knuckles, if the Master Emerald is here, what about Angel Island?"

Knuckles' only expressions today seemed to be grim and grimmer.

"The island does store up enough energy to keep it from a catastrophic fall, but it will descend."

"How long?" Ricky asked, not quite sure of the context. Knuckles shook his head.

Tails landed with a thump, his fluffy tails spreading out and his face lighting up. "What are we waiting for? I brought the Tornado-V when Amy and I came over!" Amy brightened as well. Knuckles blinked at Tails, then grinned. He picked up the oversized emerald in one easy motion, balancing it on one hand.

"Lead on, Tails! Sooner the Master Emerald is put back, the better I'll feel."

"You and me both, buddy!" Sonic grinned, then looked at Tails. "When you drop him off, come on back - we're definitely going to want your firepower."

"Come on, Knuckles, this way," Amy said, waving him toward the door she'd entered from.

"Do you have your commwatch, Sonic?" Tails asked. Sonic pulled it out of his quills and stuck it on his wrist with a sheepish grin. "That would have been helpful earlier. Keep it turned on, okay? We'll keep in touch!"

"Are you going to be okay getting out of here?" Sonic looked concerned. "There were an awful lot of flying robots."

"Well, we could use another hand or two on my new turrets," Tails tapped his chin.

"Turrets?" Nera perked up. "What kind?"

"The normal kind? They're not hard to use." 

Nera grinned. "And you said there's two?" She glanced at Nero, who adjusted his glasses nervously. "Are the seats big enough for us, by any chance?"

Tails broke out into a wide smile. "Yeah! I made them really adjustable. Wanna try?"

"Definitely!" Nera's eyes sparkled.

"Come on then," Tails said, hovering backward to the door. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting." Nera and Nero followed quickly.

"See ya later!" I called, waving cheerfully, no concept of my future. Nera turned and blew me a kiss, then was gone.

"Tails, is the Tornado-V a plane, or a flying tank?" Sonic asked. "I can't make up my mind."

Tails looked at him and nodded, grinning. "Yes." He turned and flew out the door. Sonic shrugged, and turned back to us.

"I'm going on ahead. I am really curious about what is in the building I was investigating when I was caught in that trap." Sonic held a fist out and I bumped it with mine. "See ya later - Windy, right?"

I nodded. "Nice to meetcha." He saluted the others, then ran out behind Tails and the others. 

"What should we do?" Anica asked, flushing slightly. "Where should we go?"

"If we wander aimlessly," L chewed his thumbnail. "We'll get captured again for sure."

"But, it's not like anyone heard anything about locations," Ricky said, shrugging.

"What about that map? Does anything look interesting?" I asked. 

L spread the map out on the floor again. Ricky crouched over it. "Joker's pretty devious, so I don't think it's the largest building."

"The largest building is probably where Sonic is heading. That's where Eggman would put something important. Sonic will take care of whatever he finds, he's as good as a small army."

"What about a control room?" Anica said. "What if there's more than one rocket? They have to be controlling the launch from somewhere."

We stared at the map a moment longer, then both Ricky and L pointed suddenly at the same spot. I could have sworn I saw sparks fly when their glares met.

Oblivious, Anica smiled. "That seems like a great spot for a control room. It's a pretty straight shot from here, too."

Ricky glanced at his watch. "We have approximately one hour and forty-five minutes before launch time, if Joker sticks to his plan, which he's admittedly not the best at."

"That seems like plenty of time," I said, "But we should still move with purpose. Never know what traps or guards are between us and them." General nodding.

"Okay," L said, folding up the map and stuffing it into his pocket. "Let's go."

Anica turned to me. "How are you feeling? How are your ribs?"

I was surprised. My ribs hadn't been hurting for some time now. "I feel great! Ever since I touched the Master Emerald," And now I looked at my hands. The cut from the key had vanished. "I bet the Master Emerald healed me."

"It can do that?" Anica asked. I nodded.

"The Master Emerald contains a lot of power. It's not safe for humans to handle, typically."

Uncomfortable under the stares of my three friends, I moved to the door we had not yet used - the door that led toward the control room.

I entered the code into the keypad and the doors slid open.


End file.
